Ahhh Danielle . . . this is a lesson toughly learnt, but one that I believe that we all have to learn. "Expect to Offend People" is such a blunt truth, a truth that made me feel uncomfortable, does it make you feel uncomfortable?

A Truth.

I have discovered that in learning to accept people for who they are there comes a certain expectation that you cannot disagree with anything that they believe or do or say; that you must dampen your own self to accommodate this other. I believe that many of you will agree when I say (and see) that this is not healthy. Cause when you stomp down on your own self, squish it to fit in the tiniest part of your soul you are doing a disservice, not only to yourself but to the world in general.

Okay, here's a scenario for you -

Everyday, every single day, you wake up determined to not rock the boat. You eat breakfast, have a shower, get dressed, grab your bag, and head out into the wide, wild, world. Out in that wide, wild, world, you encounter many, many people. Each person is a miracle, an endless soul, a person on their own life journey . . . but quite often, on this journey, they are stuck in places that hold them back and cause them to form beliefs and opinions that you like and some you don't. You are the same as them, you are on your journey and you have places where you are jammed up and stickety-stuck, but perhaps you are trying to grow and change, to become more YOU! Yet, in this wordly interaction you feel that part of trying to be peaceful is being afraid - afraid to voice your self, afraid to stand up and be heard amongst the never-ending background noise. AND because you are afraid of standing up, you are pushed down by others who are standing up and whilst this keeps the peace for others, it doesn't keep the peace in you. Your thoughts stew, they twist and sometimes become ugly, but they also can become beautiful and/or truthful; and yet you suppress them, hide them, for fear of causing offence.

Now of course we do not desire to cause offence, that is never anyones intention (unless it is - but boo on you folk!), but when to stand up and be you, be strong, and be an opinion, causes some people to cough and splutter, to be up in arms, to take offence, there is something not so ugly about it. In fact it can be a chance for something beautiful, something within which all can learn and grow.

Offend

or

to be Offended.

To the point where you are not smothered, you are not suppressed, you are not being chipped away at or ripped in two; but to where, ultimately, you are being truth, and light, and growth, and spirit, and heart, and strength, and you.

It is a-okay to be non-judgmental, to be at peace, to be accepting of others . . . but it is equally a-okay to be non-judgmental, to be at peace, to be accepting of you. So, as Danielle (life-change guru extraordinaire) states, "Expect to Offend People," cause we are all different, we are all on different points of our journey, we are all reactionaries, learners, and teachers - don't be afraid.